Austin, Texas, December 7, 2015 – The four hospital founders of the Impact Pediatric Health pitch competition today announced details of the second year of the event which will be held as part of SXSW 2016. Boston Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s, Texas Children’s Hospital, and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia came together to create a pitch competition for new start ups focused on pediatric healthcare innovations. The March 14, 2016, event showcases technologies that will deliver solutions specifically created for young patients. For more information, see http://impactpediatrichealth.com.

“We need comprehensive and holistic approaches to ensure the children of today and tomorrow are born healthy and grow-up healthy,” saidJames Hury, director of commercialization at Texas Children’s. “And when they’re sick, we need innovative ways to diagnose, treat, manage and prevent diseases. It is our job, our mission to do whatever we can to seek out and nurture the best solutions, devices and treatments available to our young patients.”

“The Impact Pediatric Health collaboration gives companies with the best pediatric innovations a global platform to share their ideas and solutionsand gain critical access to an influential audience capable of helping them advance their businesses and bring their solutions to market,” addedJennifer Dauer, senior vice president of Strategy & Growth for Cincinnati Children’s.

The first Impact Pediatric Health event was held at SXSW in 2015 where10 companies pitched their solutions to a panel of hospital executive and investor judges including Mark Cuban. CareAline, a company offering innovative PICC and Central Line management sleeves and wraps which keep lines covered and off of the skin, reducing the risk of dislodgment and infection, was last year’s winner. Another finalist, Owlet, raised $7M in new funding following the event.

The 2016 Impact Pediatric Health will also select10finalists from all applications. The finalists will have three minutes to present their start up to judges and the audience as part of SXSW 2016 on Monday, March 14, 2016. One winner will be selected.

Impact Pediatric Health is seeking digital health and medical device startups focused on areas including patient safety,population health, precision medicine/genomics, remote care, hospital-to-home transitions,artificial intelligence, robotics, and 3–D printing. More information, including how to apply, can be found at www.impactpediatrichealth.com.

“While the patients may be small, we know that kids aren’t just little adults. They bring a unique set of challenges and opportunities when it comes to making and keeping them healthy,” said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital. “We’re looking for leading digital health and medical device startups passionate about making a positive impact on the health of our babies, kids, and teens.”

“We are so proud to have our four organizations come together to make Impact Pediatric Health happen,” said PatrickFitzGerald, vice president of the Office of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.“And the collaboration doesn’t stop with SXSW. This event fosters collaboration long after March, among hospitals, healthcare stakeholders, venture capitalists, and technology innovators, all with the end goal of helping our patients get and stay healthy.”

About the Impact Pediatric Health Founders:

Boston Children’s Hospital is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 10 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children’s today is a 404-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health and the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more, visit our research and clinical innovation and pediatric health blogs and follow us on Twitter (@BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation), Facebook and YouTube.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Children’s Hospitals. It is also ranked in the top 10 for all 10 pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children’s blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu. Stay connected with CHOP by visiting us on Facebook and Twitter.

Texas Children’s Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children’s has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women’s health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Center for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation’s first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country and a global health program that’s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.